10 Downing Street: Mr Phil Flynn

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 17 November (WA 155), whether Phil Flynn visited Number 10 Downing Street during the past five years; if so, when the visits occurred; and whom Mr Flynn represented.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: There is no record of Mr Flynn having visited 10 Downing Street in the past five years.

Armed Forces: Rules of Engagement

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What provision will be made in the proposed Armed Forces Bill about the legal status of (a) rules of engagement; and (b) any official summary of, or extract from, the rules of engagement.

Lord Drayson: The Armed Forces Bill will make no such provision.

Asylum Seekers: Bail

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	For how many days each of the 21 Iraqi asylum seekers who were in detention awaiting removal on 14 October had been detained on that date; how many of them have now been assessed as not posing a threat of absconding, have met the necessary conditions and provided the sureties required for release on Chief Immigration Officer bail; and, if any of them have met the other conditions but have not been able to provide sureties, whether they will put them in touch with Bail for Immigration Detainees.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: On 14 October the Iraqi failed asylum seekers detained awaiting removal had been detained for between 46 and 68 days. Thirteen were advised that the Immigration Service was considering release on bail and invited to provide details of proposed sureties and addresses. Five were subsequently granted bail by an immigration judge. Of the remaining cases, five responded but failed to provide sufficient sureties or details about their sureties. Three made no response. We do not put individuals in touch with particular organisations who might represent them. Information about bail is given to all those detained at the time of detention and is available within individual removal centres.

Aviation Health: Contaminated Air

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 19 October (WA 126), how many air quality monitoring exercises were carried out during contaminated air events in commercial jet aircraft; and on what occasions.

Lord Davies of Oldham: There is no requirement for air quality monitoring exercises to be carried out during contaminated air events in aircraft, and there is no record of any such measurements in the public domain. Air quality measurements are normally only made as part of the initial certification of each aircraft type.

Aviation Health: Contaminated Air

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What records have been obtained of the contaminated air incident that occurred on the Boeing 757 aircraft, registered G-BPEK, on a flight to Edinburgh on 20 November, which necessitated an emergency return to Heathrow; whether the incident involved passengers as well as crew; and whether a cause of the incident has been identified.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Civil Aviation Authority's Safety Investigation and Data Department has received reports from the aircraft operator and the London Area Control Centre regarding an emergency call made from a Boeing 757 aircraft, registered G-BPEK, on 20 November 2005.
	Initial reports indicate that "sweet smelling" fumes were detected on the flight deck during initial climb, and the flight crew took action to address the situation. The crew declared an emergency and requested a return to Heathrow airport, which was facilitated by air traffic control.
	The engineering report from the operator states that the fault could not be reproduced during subsequent ground runs. Although the precise nature of the fumes has not been detected, the operator suspects that the smell originated from de-icing fluid. None of the reports received to date indicates that there were any smells or fumes in the cabin, or that passengers were affected.

Cabinet Office Strategy Unit Report on Alcohol-related Harm

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why they have not updated the 2002 assessment in the Cabinet Office Strategy Unit's interim analytical report on alcohol-related harm; and whether they will now place updated versions of the graphics on pages 13, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22 and 31 of that report in the Library of the House.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: This was background analysis for the Strategy Unit project work which has now ended. The unit has no plans to update these figures, which were drawn from a wide range of data sources. The strategy on reducing alcohol harm is being taken forward jointly by the Department of Health and the Home Office.

Education: Under-achievement

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have estimated the cost of educational under-achievement to (a) the Department for Education and Skills, and (b) the economy as a whole; and, if so, what these estimates are.

Lord Adonis: The Department for Education and Skills has made no direct estimate of the cost of educational under-achievement. However, we know that individuals with no qualifications are more likely to be disadvantaged and face poorer life chances. That is why the department is committed to creating opportunity, releasing potential and achieving excellence for all.
	Academic research shows there is a link between educational achievement and economic performance. Sianesi and Van Reenan 1 (2003) state that a one-year increase in average education raises the level of output per capita by between 3 and 6 per cent, and skills enhance wages and improve employability. In 2004, 40 per cent of individuals with no qualifications were inactive compared to only 10 per cent of those with level 5 qualifications 2 . Improving the skills of workers also contributes to raising productivity. Recent research 3 estimates that, in terms of GDP per hour, 12 per cent of the productivity gap with France and one-fifth of the gap with Germany is due to the UK's relatively low skills level.
	Other research has identified a range of wider benefits from raising qualification levels that are shared between individuals, employers, the economy and society. For example, research by Feinstein (2002) has identified and quantified social benefits of learning for health sup4; (depression and obesity) and crime sup5;.
	1 Sianesi, Barbara and Van Reenen, John Michael, "The Returns to Education: Macroeconomics". Journal of Economic Surveys, Vol. 17, pp. 157–200, April 2003.
	2 ONS Labour Force Summary: 1984:2005. 3 O'Mahony and de Boer (2002) Britain's relative productivity performance: updates to 1999 NIESR. sup4; Feinstein (2002), Quantitative Estimates of the Social Benefits of Learning 2: Health (Depression and Obesity), Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning. sup5; Feinstein (2002), Quantitative Estimates of the Social Benefits of Learning 1: Crime, Centre for the Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning.

Environment Agency: Freshwater Fisheries

Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What expansion of fishing activities by the Environment Agency has taken place in pursuit of its objective to maintain, improve and develop freshwater fisheries.

Lord Bach: Since the Environment Agency (EA) was given responsibility for the management and enhancement of freshwater fisheries, the number of rod licences sold has increased by 26,000 per annum, from 1.01 million in 1995 to 1.27 million in 2005. The agency works with partners to provide 25,000 people a year with an introduction to angling. In addition, it has increased income from rod licences during this period from £11.7 million to £19.7 million.
	The Environment Agency works in partnership with fishery owners, rivers trusts, non-governmental organisations and regulated industry to improve fish stocks by improving the aquatic environment. Coarse fish are now present in 97 per cent of monitored sites and a further 50 per cent of sites have more than eight fish species present.
	Following the publication of the report of the independent Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Review Group in 2000, the EA increased its focus on developing the social and economic benefits of fisheries. For example, its work with the Welsh Assembly Government and Wales Tourist Board has resulted in an investment of some £2.5 million, creating an extra £27 million a year in income to the Welsh economy from angling tourism.
	The EA also delivers social benefits by working with the police and local communities to provide opportunities through angling to help deal with truancy and anti-social behaviour.

European Union: Eco-labelling Scheme

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the European Union eco-labelling scheme aids implementation of green public procurement; and
	Whether they will take steps to require all government departments to buy eco-labelled products whenever possible.

Lord Bach: Under EU public procurement rules, the Government and other public bodies cannot require products to have been awarded specific environmental labels, although they may specify environmental standards equivalent to those used for such labels.
	The Government have already used some of the requirements from the European eco-label scheme in its "Quick Wins" initiative to apply minimum environmental standards across a wide range of products commonly purchased by government departments. We are currently consulting on extending the list of products covered.
	The Sustainable Procurement Task Force is due to produce an action plan for government procurement in April next year. Its report will make recommendations on what steps the UK public sector can take to ensure that it is among the leading EU member states on sustainable procurement by 2009.
	Further information about, the work of the task force can be found at www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/delivery/global-local/ProcurementTaskForce.htm.

European Union: Eco-labelling Scheme

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they will take to encourage United Kingdom participation in the European Union eco-labelling scheme; and
	Given the higher usage of the European Union eco-labelling scheme in other member states, what steps they will take to encourage greater industry participation in the United Kingdom.

Lord Bach: The department is the UK "competent body" responsible for managing and promoting the EU eco-label in the UK, and we advertise it in several environmental magazines for business, as well as through Defra's website, which also explains our promotional strategy. We inform and consult relevant business organisations as each product group covered by the scheme is developed or revised. We provide a full range of promotional and explanatory material in response to the expressions of interest we receive about the label, and we meet businesses that are considering participating to discuss how we can help them. We work closely with industry and tailor our approach to the relevant product group and the level of interest in it. For example, in the past year we have developed a user-friendly UK application pack for the scheme's label for tourist accommodation, and have promoted the label at green tourism events in Northern Ireland and Scotland. For next year we are updating Defra's "Shopper's Guide to Green Labels", which features the EU eco-label prominently. The new guide will be launched in the next few weeks to encourage greater interest and involvement in good green labelling schemes, and will be freely available to consumers and businesses.

European Union: Eco-labelling Scheme

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will base solid wood furniture procurement by government departments on the recommendations of the European Union eco-label scheme once the list is developed.

Lord Bach: The Commission has not yet brought forward detailed proposals for an eco-label for wooden furniture, but work is expected to start next year. If criteria are eventually agreed, the Government will certainly consider drawing on them for use in their contract specifications.

European Union: Food Supplements Directive

Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will seek to persuade the European Commission to amend the Food Supplements Directive so as to allow the United Kingdom to permit sale of those safe products for which there is a public demand.

Lord Warner: The Government have been in close communication with the European Commission regarding the impact of the Food Supplements Directive on the sale of products on the United Kingdom market and will continue to explore what further flexibility may be permitted.
	The Food Supplements Directive has applied in full since 1 August 2005. The impact of the directive on the UK market has been negligible in terms of the products available to the public. Substances which fall within the scope of the directive can continue to be used in food supplements provided a dossier of safety data has been submitted for assessment by the European Food Safety Authority and a derogation given by the relevant authority. Derogation has been given for over 400 substances used in supplements in the UK.

Government Departments: Sustainable Development Strategy

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the,
	"clear and tangible commitments from all departments to deliver targets,"
	set out in the 2002 framework for sustainable development will be published; and whether they will consider a single model for government departments for reporting on sustainable development.

Lord Bach: Departments should within four months of publication of each suite of targets in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate, make public a strategy showing how they plan to deliver the targets.
	The UK Government sustainable development strategy—Securing the future (published in March 2005) commits all government departments and their executive agencies to produce focused sustainable development action plans based on the strategy by December 2005. Departments are then expected to report on their actions by December 2006.
	Over the coming year, with the assistance of the National Audit Office (NAO) and the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), the Government will consider how departments should best report on sustainable development.

Heavy Goods Vehicle and Public Service Vehicle Operators

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many multi-agency checks on (a) buses and coaches; (b) light goods vehicles; and (c) heavy goods vehicles have taken place in Wales in the past 12 months; and what has been the result of such checks.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) does not record separate data for single and multi-agency checks. The figures available on all checks carried out in Wales over the past 12 months are.
	Buses and coaches (passenger carrying vehicles)
	Total number of checks: 2,247; broken down as follows. 
	
		
			  Number 
			 Traffic enforcement checks  
			 Examined 1,086 
			 Drivers' hours and tachograph prohibitions issued 47 
			 Vehicles prohibited overweight 4 
			 Roadworthiness checks  
			 Examined 1,161 
			 Mechanical condition prohibitions issued 205 
		
	
	Light goods vehicles
	Total number of checks: 3,491; broken down as follows.
	
		
			  Number 
			 Traffic enforcement checks  
			 Examined 2,064 
			 Vehicles prohibited overweight 415 
			 Roadworthiness checks  
			 Examined 1,427 
			 Mechanical condition prohibitions issued 607 
		
	
	Heavy goods vehicles (motor vehicles and trailers)
	Total number of checks: 14,389; broken down as follows. 
	
		
			  Number 
			 Traffic enforcement checks  
			 Examined 8,537 
			 Drivers' hours and tachograph prohibitions issued 1,165 
			 Vehicles prohibited overweight 664 
			 Roadworthiness checks  
			 Examined 5,852 
			 Mechanical condition prohibitions issued 1,759

Heavy Goods Vehicle and Public Service Vehicle Operators

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many operators of (a) buses and coaches; (b) light goods vehicles; and (c) heavy goods vehicles have failed the initial test of road worthiness conducted by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency in Wales during the past 12 months.

Lord Davies of Oldham: This information could not be supplied without disproportionate costs.

Heavy Goods Vehicle and Public Service Vehicle Operators

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many disciplinary hearings have been conducted by the Traffic Commissioners affecting operators of (a) buses and coaches; (b) light goods vehicles; and (c) heavy goods vehicles in Wales in the past 12 months; and what has been the result of these hearings.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			  Number of Public Enquiries Licence Revocations Licence Suspensions Vehicles Removed or conditions imposed Notification of formal warning Disqualification of licence holder No action taken 
			 Heavy Goods Vehicles 43 12 9 10 7 7 5 
			 Public Service Vehicles 15 6 1 5 3 2 1

Heavy Goods Vehicles: Hours of Work

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many of the drivers of heavy goods vehicles who were found to be exceeding the drivers' hours regulations while driving on main roads approaching Pembroke Dock and Fishguard Harbour in August, September and October 2005 were driving vehicles registered in (a) the United Kingdom; (b) the Republic of Ireland; or (c) other European Union member states.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) found drivers of the following numbers of heavy goods vehicles to be exceeding the drivers' hours regulations on the main roads approaching Pembroke Dock and Fishguard Harbour from August to October 2005:
	
		
			 Road Location United Kingdom Republicof Ireland Other European Union member states 
			 A40 Fishgaurd Port 0 3 2 
			 A40 Henllan, Dyfed-Powys 2 0 3 
			 A40 Pembroke Dock 0 3 2 
			 A477 Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire 0 2 0 
			 M4 J49 Pontabraham,Dyfed 1 2 0 
			 - Goodwick, Port ofFishgaurd 0 4 2 
			 - Pembroke Port 0 9 1 
			  Total 3 23 10

Heavy Goods Vehicles: Hours of Work

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 16 November (WA 145), how many of the 122 vehicles from the Republic of Ireland found to be in breach of the drivers' hours regulations belonged to the same operator; what representations have been made to the enforcement authorities in the Republic of Ireland; and with what result.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The largest number of instances for one operator was 10 out of the 128* vehicles found to be in breach of the drivers' hours regulations in the period from August to September 2005. The full breakdown is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Number of Breaches Number of Operators 
			 10 1 
			 7 1 
			 6 1 
			 4 2 
			 3 2 
			 2 14 
			 1 63 
		
	
	* As the data are a live system six further entries have been made since the data were originally presented.
	Officials from the UK Department for Transport and Vehicle and Operator Service Agency met with their counterparts from the Republic of Ireland in March of this year to discuss the condition and operation of Irish vehicles entering the UK. There has been a continuing dialogue since between officials, and Ministers have also been in contact. We are working together to help increase levels of understanding and compliance by vehicle operators and their drivers.

HM Treasury: Cosmetics

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McKenzie of Luton on 18 October (WA 118), how much HM Treasury has spent on (a) make-up artists for media appearances; (b) voice coaching; and (c) other media presentation skills in each of the past eight years.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Treasury's accounting system does not record expenditure on make-up artists for media appearances, or voice coaching, or other media presentation skills as separate categories of expenditure. Information relating to any expenditure on those services could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Iraq: White Phosphorus Munitions

Lord Hayhoe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether British Armed Forces in Iraq have used white phosphorus; if so, on how many occasions; and with what intention.

Lord Drayson: British Armed Forces have used white phosphorus on Operation TELIC in Iraq primarily as a smoke screen to provide cover, and thus protection, for our soldiers or for target illumination. Although white phosphorus does have a recognised anti-personnel effect, we go to great lengths to ensure that civilian and non-combatants are not harmed during operations and guidelines issued to British military personnel on its use emphasise that it should not be deployed as an anti-personnel weapon. Information on the number of occasions it has been used by British Armed Forces in Iraq is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate effort.

Licensing Act 2003

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the meaning, purpose and effect of Section 192(1)(b) of the Licensing Act 2003.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Section 192(1)(b) of the Licensing Act 2003 forms part of a definition of what is a "sale by retail" in relation to alcohol and therefore of which sales of alcohol are licensable activities for the purposes of the 2003 Act. In essence, the definition includes all sales of alcohol except wholesale sales. Sub-paragraph (b) of Section 192(1) describes the premises from which a wholesale sale is made. This is one element of the description of a wholesale sale: the others are in Section 192(1)(a) and (c) and (2). If all of these elements are satisfied in relation to a particular sale, the sale qualifies as a wholesale sale and as such is not a licensable activity.
	To meet the requirement in Section 192(1)(b) the premises in question must be owned by the person making the sale or occupied by him under a lease to which the provisions of Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 apply. The 1954 Act broadly gives business tenants security of tenure: a statutory right to remain in their business premises when their lease ends and to seek a new tenancy. For example, some public houses are operated by individuals under tenancies of this kind. So in essence the requirement is that the sale be made from premises the seller either owns as a freeholder, or occupies as a business tenant. The other requirements referred to above must also of course be satisfied. Sales from premises occupied by the seller as a residential tenant or licensee could therefore never qualify as wholesale sales. They would always be licensable, unless some other exception in the 2003 Act applied.
	There are two essential purposes of Section 192 of the 2003 Act. The first is to change the position which existed prior to 24 November 2005 whereby sales of alcohol in wholesale quantities to ordinary members of the public did not give rise to a requirement for a justices' licence under the terms of the Licensing Act 1964. Since 24 November sales by retail of alcohol to members of the public has been a licensable activity regardless of the quantity being sold. Secondly, the section provides that for the purposes of the 2003 Act, a sale by retail of alcohol made to any of those listed in subsection 192(2) from any premises described in subsection 192(1)(b) for the purpose of being consumed off those premises is not to be treated as a licensable activity. This is primarily to preserve the position under the old law whereby sales of alcohol within the trade are not to be regarded as licensable sales.

Licensing Reform: Alcohol Consumption

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they predict a decline or an increase in the consumption of alcohol as a result of the extended hours allowed by the Licensing Act 2003.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government have made no predictions about the impact of licensing reform on overall alcohol consumption levels. While previous experience in the UK and some other countries has been for alcohol consumption to fall in the years following the liberalisation of licensing hours, there are a number of other factors that drive consumption and it would be wrong to predict any direction of change as a result of licensing reform alone. Nevertheless, we believe that the new licensing regime will remove the incentive to rush to beat the artificial and fixed closing times, and allow the development of a more diverse late night economy.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and Syngenta

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether there is a potential conflict of interests between Professor Sir Alasdair Breckenridge's chairmanship of the agency board of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and his chairmanship of the agrochemical company Syngenta's ethics committee which deals with experiments involving the ingestion of pesticides by healthy volunteers; and
	Which pesticide active ingredients used in experiments involving the ingestion of pesticides by healthy volunteers for Syngenta, Professor Sir Alasdair Breckenridge, chairman of the agency board of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, has considered since he took office with the board; what has been the number of experiments; and how many volunteers have been involved in each experiment.

Lord Warner: Syngenta has never approached the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency for marketing authorisation of medicinal products for human use and does not market any pharmaceutical products in the United Kingdom. During Professor Sir Alasdair Breckenridge's unremunerated tenure as chairman, Syngenta's ethics committee has never discussed any human medicinal products. For these reasons, there is no conflict of interests between Sir Alasdair's role at the MHRA and his role as chairman of Syngenta's ethics committee. Sir Alasdair has declared this role on the MHRA's register of staff interests.
	Sir Alasdair's involvement with Syngenta is unrelated to his role as chairman of the agency board of the MHRA. We are not able to provide details of Syngenta's activities as we do not possess them.

Ministerial Code

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What procedures are followed in the case of a Minister of the Crown who has been found guilty of unlawful discrimination through an employment tribunal; and
	Whether any action has been taken against any Minister of the Crown who has been found guilty of unlawful discrimination in the past 12 months; and, if so, what action was taken.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Section 1 of the Ministerial Code makes clear that it is for individual Ministers to account for their decisions and actions in their departments.
	It will be for the relevant Minister to determine what action to take in the light of the facts of any specific case.

National Film and Television Archive: Review

Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will intervene to prevent the loss of potentially rare British film archives threatened by changes made by the British Film Institute at the National Film and Television Archive.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The strategic review of the National Film and Television Archive undertaken by the British Film Institute was conducted in full consultation with the UK Film Council and the Department for Culture Media and Sport. The review was set up specifically to address the issues raised by the National Audit Office in its report on the archive in 2003 (a copy of which is available in the House Library). As a result of the review, a number of significant changes have been made, including improvements to storage conditions, to ensure that the nation's film heritage continues to be preserved and protected.

Network Rail: Development Rights

Lord Tope: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What controls there are on the erection of buildings by train operating companies on lands owned by Network Rail in the absence of any need for planning permission; and whether they have plans to introduce legislation to provide appropriate controls.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Train operating companies do not have powers to erect buildings on land owned by Network Rail. Network Rail, as a statutory undertaker, has the right to carry out certain development on its operational land in connection with the movement of traffic by rail without having to make a planning application. These rights are set out in Part 17 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (GPDO).
	A research study into permitted development rights, including the permitted development rights of statutory undertakers, commissioned by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), was published in September 2003. The ODPM will undertake public consultation before implementing any proposed changes to current permitted development rights.

Northern Ireland: Review of Unsolved Deaths

Lord Ramsbotham: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What were the reasons for the timing of their announcement that the Royal Military Police will inquire into every terrorist death in which the Army were involved in Northern Ireland since 1969; and whether the publication of the Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill affected the timing of that announcement.

Lord Drayson: The publication of the Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill on 9 November 2005 did not affect the timing of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland's announcement on 8 March 2005 that the PSNI, not the RMP, would review unresolved deaths from the Troubles.

Powers of Entry

Lord Selsdon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In what circumstances officials of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and of public bodies answerable to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs can search and enter the homes or business premises of United Kingdom citizens; and, in each case, what is the statutory authority for that power.

Lord Triesman: Under Section 5 of the Intelligence Services Act 1994, the Secretary of State may, on application made by the Secret Intelligence Service or the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), issue a warrant authorising the taking of specified action in respect of any property if he thinks it necessary for any action to be taken on the ground that it is likely to be of substantial value in assisting the Intelligence Service or GCHQ in carrying out any functions under Section 1 or Section 3(1)(a) of the Act.

Powers of Entry

Lord Selsdon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In what circumstances officials of the Scotland Office and of public bodies answerable to the Secretary of State for Scotland can search and enter the homes or business premises of United Kingdom citizens; and, in each case, what is the statutory authority for that power.

Lord Evans of Temple Guiting: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by my noble friend the Minister of State for the Home Department (Baroness Scotland of Asthal) on 23 November 2005 (Official Report, cols. WA 218–19).

Powers of Entry

Lord Selsdon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In what circumstances officials of the Wales Office and of public bodies answerable to the Secretary of State for Wales can search and enter the homes or business premises of United Kingdom citizens; and, in each case, what is the statutory authority for that power.

Lord Evans of Temple Guiting: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by my noble friend the Minister of State for the Home Department (Baroness Scotland of Asthal) on 23 November 2005 (Official Report, cols. WA 218–19).

Powers of Entry

Lord Selsdon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In what circumstances officials of the Department for Constitutional Affairs and of public bodies answerable to the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs can search and enter the homes or business premises of United Kingdom citizens; and, in each case, what is the statutory authority for that power.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by my noble friend Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 23 November 2005 (Official Report, cols. WA 218–19).

Public Sector Pensions

Lord Monson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why they propose to allow those recruited to the public sector between 18 October 2005 and June 2006 to retire on a full index-linked pension at the age of 60, when no employment contract is yet in force.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: As part of the pension scheme reviews, schemes will be considering the earliest practicable date at which new pension terms can be applied to new entrants. The revisions to pension terms are likely to extend well beyond the introduction of a normal pension age of 65 for new entrants to NHS, teachers and civil service schemes and will need careful consideration and consultation before they are finalised.

Royal Navy: Aircraft Carriers

Lord Luke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their fall back position in the event that the project to build two new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy has to be cancelled.

Lord Drayson: The Government have no need for a fall back position. We remain committed to providing this key element to our future carrier strike capability.

Toxicogenomics

The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What action they are taking to take advantage of modern technologies such as genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics and metabolomics as advocated by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in its report Crop Spraying and the Health of Residents and Bystanders.

Lord Bach: The Government are in the process of considering the recommendations from the RCEP report, Crop Sprayers and the Health of Residents and Bystanders, and will make a formal response in summer 2006. Work in the area of toxicogenomics, which combines genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and bioinformatics, is ongoing at national and international level and the Government have supported the setting up in December 2004 of an advisory group of key experts in the field from the WHO and OECD. This group is developing a plan of action to explore and evaluate chemical regulatory applications of toxicogenomics.

Uganda

Baroness Northover: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will make representations to the government of Uganda for a fair, prompt and public trial, and release on bail pending trial, in the case of retired Colonel Kizza Besigye, leader of the opposition party Forum for Democratic Change in Uganda.

Lord Triesman: I refer the noble Baroness to the Answers my honourable friend the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister of State (Ian Pearson) gave to Mark Simmonds MP on 22 November 2005 (Official Report, col. 1901W) and Mary Creagh MP and David Drew MP on 28 November 2005 (Official Report; cols. 166W–167W).